Xie Zhiyao is one of the leading protagonists of Meet Yourself.
If you are unfamiliar, this drama is about a city career woman, Hongdou, who, after a traumatic experience, retreats to a town far away to take a break and along the way discovers a new way of life. Xie Zhiyao is one of the people Hongdou comes across in this town.
Xie Zhiyao has every single contributing factor that makes him a Gary Stu (a male Mary Sue). He has no flaws, he does no wrong, he is full of information and advice for anyone who needs it, socially charming, business expert, awesome brother, etc — the list is long.
It sounds like he is the perfect candidate for a butchering session because, well, if you have been following this blog, you know that male leads written for the purpose of wish-fulfilment never get any slack from me.
But try as I might, Xie Zhiyao is impossible to butcher, because the drama takes all the elements that would have made him a dull fantasy male lead and turns them into Xie Zhiyao’s advantage.
So here we are: Xie Zhiyao’s brief guide on how to make tropey tropes work.
*I know there are many definitions of Mary Sue / Gary Stu out there, so perhaps everyone has their own understanding of this term. To be clear, the “Mary Sue” I am referring to is a character without flaws whose sole purpose of existence is wish-fulfilment.
Bond with your grandmas, boys.
Nothing contributes to a character’s believability better than natural, meaningful interactions with his surroundings. Please, dramas, give your male leads this chance. Don’t just let people stand around and talk about how much he cares, have him actually care.
Xie Zhiyao’s relationship with his grandmother, aka A’nai, can only be described in one word: adorable. How many times do we see them cook and eat dinner together in the drama? Countless. They comment on the food they make and chat about trivial things, and every time we get to see more and more of Zhiyao the grandson and the human behind the idea of his character.
This extends to his dealings with the village’s elders and children too. Zhiyao may always say and do the right things, but it doesn’t make him unreal because we see where he learned what he knows and how he applies it.
“Ordinary” romance.
Xie Zhiyao and Hongdou meet and fall in love as two very normal people in real life would. At first glance, it looks like their romance consists of nothing but delicious breakfasts and baby horses. But don’t judge just yet, this drama has a way to make even the smallest matter into something worth thinking about.
Zhiyao resides in this town, Hongdou is a visitor. No matter how tasty breakfasts are here, she still has to go back to her real home when the vacation is over. And so for this couple, the climax of their relationship isn’t any particular romance scene, but when they have to face the prospect of Hongdou’s departure. Zhiyao’s “love” shines the best when he encourages Hongdou to live the life she wants when it is time for her to leave, even if that means leaving him too.
The drama, in a way, addresses the issue of long-distance relationships and what romance means in our time through Zhiyao. Do they work? Do they not? We don’t know. What we do know is everyone deserves a chance to explore all of their options before making a commitment. It’s a notion easy to dismiss in an ocean of fictional romances where true love is painted as life-and-death glorious and the only thing worth living for; but at the same time, it is so close to real life that we can’t help but mull on it for a bit.
Have a job (and actually do it).
Xie Zhiyao has a job, and guess what, he actually goes to work.
He is introduced to be kind of a CEO, a manager, and kind of the best at everything. But the difference between Zhiyao and other male leads is that we actually see him demonstrate how he is the best. We see him go out to learn about people’s lives, use his background as an advantage to win their trust, understand the place he lives in, and strive to achieve what’s best for it.
It’s easy to believe why this man can never finish a meal before his phone rings and someone asks him for help.
Not just a love interest, but a vessel to a new world.
This is what Xie Zhiyao is to Hongdou.
She leaves her job and comes to this town to find peace and a new direction. And Zhiyao’s appearance in Hongdou’s life offers her exactly that.
Not only does Zhiyao show Hongdou the power of possibility, he also shows her the cost that comes with it. It is not just romantic attraction between them, it is not just “I will do anything to make you happy”, it is about leading both Hongdou and the audience into a new experience. This is what the drama aims to achieve and Zhiyao certainly plays a big part in reaching that goal.
Contribution to female empowerment? Sure.
It is always beyond frustrating when a drama tries to sell the idea of equality by making its female lead as capable as her male counterpart, but takes away her agency when it matters the most and uses “love” as an excuse.
Nope, not in Meet Yourself.
Zhiyao is older than Hongdou, more experienced, and wiser too, perhaps, but what we see in him is a genuine desire to learn from her. When it comes to making decisions, he respects Hongdou enough to lay out all the choices on the table and trust her to choose, be it about their relationship or their cooperation. Even when Zhiyao knows Hongdou is wrong – overworking herself and passing out, for example – he addresses the issue without overstepping boundaries.
As a result of these interactions, we get to see Hongdou as a mature woman who doesn’t need to be coddled and can take responsibility for her mistakes. This also has to do with how Hongdou is written, of course. We cannot give a female lead agency if she is barely a character in the first place. But you get the point.
All these factors combined and we get Xie Zhiyao: a Gary Stu too perfect to be true, maybe, but likeable nonetheless. Quite more than likeable, even. It isn’t the end of the world to have a character without flaws (like I usually make it out to be in my analyses), the key is to make him work within the context of the story and have it back him up.
What more can I say? Go watch this drama.